Feds allege doctor made 190,000 false Medicare and Medicaid claims

Nov. 16, 2012 - 01:12PM
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The federal government is suing a Chicago psychiatrist for allegedly making more than 190,000 false claims to Medicare and Medicaid while treating mentally ill patients in nursing homes, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The government alleges that Michael Reinstein received kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies and submitted false claims for medication and medication management without substantively evaluating his patients’ conditions at more than 30 nursing homes.

“This is the largest civil case alleging prescription medication fraud against an individual ever brought in Chicago,” Gary Shapiro, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in a news release.

While the lawsuit doesn’t list a total dollar amount in damages, the government is seeking to reclaim three times the money paid out by Medicare and Medicaid plus an additional penalty of up to $11,000 in each false claim.

There is no criminal investigation at this time, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois.